KEVIN KELLY Civano Advisory Services
“ Our North Star was always to empower and enhance people ’ s lives .”
KEVIN KELLY Civano Advisory Services
THE FIRST TWO DECADES of Kevin Kelly ’ s professional life were spent as a sustainable community developer , not as a spa leader . It wasn ’ t until 2000 that he was approached by Canyon Ranch founder Mel Zuckerman to join him as its chief branding officer and , later , its president . There , Kelly worked alongside the Zuckermans and Jerry Cohen to expand Canyon Ranch beyond the destination spa experience . They were among the first to realize a destination spa ’ s brand equity could be leveraged to create an experience of well-being that was not reliant on being at the spa .“ It became clear to us that Canyon Ranch was a profound immersion experience ,” says Kelly ,“ but that people seeking greater well-being was a bigger idea than just the immersion resort , and we were the first to aggressively expand the brand experience to other channels . Twenty years later , more spas than ever have spa-specific skincare lines and a range of ways to reach customers , from digital content to airline partnerships , a direct legacy of Kelly ’ s time at Canyon Ranch .
Since then , Kelly has led Two Bunch Palms Spa , Civana and Sensei , in addition to working as a consultant . Through it all , Kelly has brought with him a desire to use both art
and science to improve people ’ s well-being . “ Throughout my career , I ’ ve relied on intuition but also sought out data to check and set the parameters of my intuition ," says Kelly . “ You need the interplay between the left and right brain to maximize your outcome .”
Kelly hopes that his legacy in spa is ultimately one of democratization , in which the expertise of luxury spas is made available to those who can ’ t afford luxury experiences : “ Once you ’ ve built a wellness company , extending the services and credibility beyond the luxury flagship is easy to do , but you have to be committed to the mission of expanding well-being , not just the mission of creating luxury spaces . Our North Star was always to empower and enhance people ’ s lives .” n
“ Our North Star was always to empower and enhance people ’ s lives .”
Canyon Ranch Tucson
FOUNDER ’ S PLAYBOOK l ADVICE FOR YOUR YOUNGER SELF : “ Be more patient .” l PERSONAL MOTTO : “ I would say my true North Star remains seeking to advance individual , community and planetary health .” l BIGGEST MENTOR : “ I never spent an hour with Mel Zukerman that I didn ’ t come away with insights . A profound man .” l ALTERNATE CAREER : “ I believe social and natural systems are interconnected … I would seek another career in support of that philosophy .”
Know a company founder in the spa industry whose legacy should be celebrated ? Contact ispa @ ispastaff . com to share their story .
FEBRUARY 2025 n PULSE 19